Detachable skid for high speed track carriages



June 28, 1960 J. HIRSCH ETAL 2,942,557

DETACHABLE sxxo FOR HIGH SPEED TRACK CARRIAGES Filed Aug. 50,1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS JOSE HIRSCH PHIL H. MC CARY BY ATToRNE'Y s June 28, 1960 J. HIRSCH ETAL 2,942,557

DETACHABLE SKID FOR HIGH SPEED TRACK CARRIAGES Filed Aug. 30, 1955 4 Sheets-Shaet 2 PL- ull A r "i- XTr I?" VENTORS JOSEPH SC PHILLIP H. MC Y June 28, 1960 J. HIRSCH ETAL 2,942,557

DETACHABLE SKID FOR HIGH SPEED TRACK CARRIAGES Filed Aug. so, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet a INVENTORS N 3 3 JOSEPH HIRSCH 0/ PHiLLiP H. MC CARY y IQU/L;

ATTORNEYS Jun 28, 1960 J. HIRSCH TAL 1 DETACHABLE SKID FOR HIGH SPEED TRACK CARRIAGES Filed Aug. 30, 1955 4811 t Sh t4 INVENTORS IRSCH MC CARY JOSEPH H PHILLIP H ATTORNEYS United States 2,942,557 I DETACHABLE SKID FOR HIGHKSPEED TRACK CARRIAGES Joseph Hirsch, Pacific Palisades, and Phillip H. McCary,

Los Angeles, Calif., assignors to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy Filed Ang. so, 1955, seems. 531,621 I 14 Claims. or. 104-134 (Granted under Title 35, U8. Code (1952 see. 26s) The invention described herein may be manufactured of America for governmental purposes without the pay- I ment of any royalties thereon or therefor- This invention relates to skids. for track guided carriages and more specifically to improveddetachable skid means for high speed track guided carriages.

and used by or for the Government'of the United States 1 Track guided carriages or vehicles are generally sup- V ported byflanged wheels. However, there are many instances in which it is preferable to support such carriages or vehicles on skids for sliding rather than rolling .con-

, -A.still further object of this invention is to provide ,v'Fig. 2 .is anexpldded perspectiveview of the skid shown in Fig. ,1, showing the variousJparts thereof and their manner of assembly; i V

Fig. 3 is avertical sectional view, similar to Figlll, of another modificationof detachable skid, according to the invention, the lines 3--3 on Figs. 4 and 6, indicating the location of the section relative tov the elements shown inthose figures; g Fig.4 is a side elevational view of one of theshoe elements of the modification shown in Fig. 3, with a portion thereof broken away, the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 indicating the direction and extent of the view;

-Fig 15 is a top elevational .view. of the shoe element, 7

. :shownin Fig. 4, with portions thereof broken, away to tact with the track. Such skids may includerail engaging shoes having downwardly and inwardly directed flange means to grip the track to prevent vertical separation therefrom, and this last mentionedtype, while of obvious general utility, has particular usefulness in conjunction with high speed. track installations for testand research purposes.

The use of track-embracing shoes presents particular problems relative to assembly and to frictional wear of sliding surfaces. Especially where test or research purposes are involved it is essential, along with general ruggedness of construction, that the skids be easily detachable from the rail structure, that the shoes thereof contact the rail structure with closeness to avoid yibration and wear due to shoe hammer with the rail, and that the bearing surfaces be of such material and nature asto allow movement with a minimum of frictional restraint and minimum of wear. Prior devices have been designed with these requirements in mind but have generally failed to be completely satisfactory. We have invented an arrangement wherein the carriage shaft supporting.

element of the skid may be used as a wedge tohold plural separable shoe forming elements together to form a shoe and in which such elements may be provided with protruding track gripping bearing surfaces of less surface area than the elements themselves to provide ventilation of the fn'ctionally heated bearing surfaces to reduce wear. The resulting novel skid arrangement is the subject of this invention and provides easier detachability and interchangea-bility of parts, and better wear and performance features than was possible with prior known skid arrangements.

'It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide new and improved detachable skid means for high speed rail guided carriages which are quickly and easily removable from the rails. r v g It is a further object of this invention to provide detachable skid means having plural part shoe elements which are held in assembled relationship by the carriage shaft supporting element of theskid means to form a sturdy and easily separable and detachableunit.

Another object of. this invention-is to provide detachable skid means having bearing elements in theform'of spaced raised areas so as to'provide for ventilation of the bearing area and to prevent the 'gather -ing of foreign matter in the shoe structure.

more clearly illustrate the, bearing pad arrangement, the

line 5--5 of 'Fig. 3 indicating the direction and extent of theview;f,.. Fig...6;is a side elevation ofthc carriage shaft supporting element of the skid-shown in' -.Fig., 3, with v the shaft itself. not shown and with pieces broken away for clarity of illustration, the line 6 -6 on Fig. 3 showing. the direction and nature of the view; and

Fig. 7 is :a bottom, elevational view. of the s arp supporting element asshown in Fig. 6 (see line 77 ofFig.

6), with portions broken away to more clearly show the nature thereof. I

Attention is now directed to the drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like parts in the various figures. The general mainconstruction of the two illustrative embodiments of this invention specifically de-' scribed and illustratedhercin comprises'three main components, namely a pair of complementary rail engaging I shoe elements 10, 1'1 and an interengaging carriage shaft supporting element 18. .Shoe elements 10, 1-1 areof generallyC-shaped cross-section and are adapted, when assembled, to-encompass a generally T-shaped rail or track-T, as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 3. The top walls 12 of the shoe elements are of equal length and of a combined lateral width to provide an inner combined top surface atleast as wide as thetop of the rail T -so that the downwardly extending side walls encom- 4 pass the sides of the-rail T.

The top walls 12 of the twoshoe sections are eac h provided with raised portions-14-at the inner abutting edges of the complementary sections, such portions being of constantly increasing width from end to, end of the sections to form a wedgc-shaped-raised portion 'when placed'together in assembled relation. The inner edges 15 of the mating-raised portions are perpendicular to the upper surfaces thereof to provide a rigid, sturdy structure upon assembly, and the outer edges are bevelledas shown at 16 to provide means togrip the carriage shaft supporting-element-IS and form a rigid assembly therewith by cooperation. with similar means 20 on said element, as best shown in Fig.2. i

The carriage shaft supporting element 18 a-;.unitary piece of generally C-shaped channel form, having side walls '22 which'may be tapered from the center and rounded asshown'in Figs. 2 and 6 and which have more or less centrally positioned'aligned shaft'supporting bear- ;ing openings 23. The bottomwall 24 of the'element 1 Patented June 28, 1960 I I -'matching dowel slots26 to receive a centering dowel 28 to align the complementary shoe elements with one another. The assembly is" completed and locked in position as by the insertion of cap screws 39 through appropriate holes 32311 the carriage-shaft supporting member 18and into engagement with'screw threadedopenings 34 in the shoe elements 10, 11. Holes 32 maybe slightly elongated, as shown, for purposesfofadjustment and of easeof assembly.

Que of the most important the provision of spaced bearing surfaces on the shoe members 1t), 11 whereby the frictional contact as the shoes slide along the rail is made at spacedpoints so'that the bearing-area may be ventilated so that heatdeveloped is morereadily dissipatedyand so that foreign matter will not collect in the apparatus. Illustrative exampleshave been disclosed showing two of the many wayspossible toachieve this result according to the invention. The two modifications shown aregenerally alike in other respects and have been commonly"described'hereinabvJa-with like reference'nurnerals applied to like parts. i

With respect to the modification illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the spaced bearing surfaces are in'the for'mof rows of spaced pads 36-arran ged'o n the innersurfaces ofshoes 10;1-1 at the surfaces of the shoes 10, 11 which engage or may engage the track T. 'The pads are weldedto the inner walls of track engaging-shoes 10, 11 protruding therefrom to provideventilati'ng space therebetween and may be of any hard faced bearing material and are of such thickness as to provide straight combined contact with adjacent rail surfaces. The bearing padsmay have aslight oval surface to prevent gouging and, ifdesired, a number of the pads may be made of graphite or other lubricating material to lubricate and protect the surface of the rail. p

The modification illustrated in Figs. 3 to 7 is'characterized by the provision of screw threaded bolt means to support the spaced bearing pads so that the padsare extended outwardly from the inner walls of the shoe and are removable, and interchangeable. As clearly shown in Figs. 3 through 5, the bearing pads of each shoe element are arranged'in three groups. The bearing pads 36a are arranged in a row in spaced relationship along the bottom portion 100 of the shoe, which is in proximity to the underside of track T. The pads 36b are similarly arranged in a row on the side portion 10b of the shoe which is in proximity to the side wall of the track. The pads 360 are placed in alternately spaced arrangement in two adjacent rows as best seen in Fig.5. Pads 36aand 36b are mounted, as by welding, to heads'38a, 38b attached-to threaded studs 40a, 40b which are adapted to be placed through openings in the bottom portion 10a and theside portion thereof, respectively, as best seen in Fig. 3. The

head elements 38a, 38b are preferably countersunk into pockets of similar crosssection, the particular shape i1- lustrated being rectangular (see Figs. 4 and 5) and the heads are faced so that the pad welded thereto will prop- "erly bear against the track T. Thus, the headsSSb carr ing the bearing pads36b are bevelled to'bring them into the plane of the side of track T, whereas the heads 38a carrying pads 36:: are so supported that the faces may be perpendicular to the axes of theirrespective studs 40a. The illustration is not intended to be limiting since all that is critical is that the bearing surfaces'be proximate to theztrack andaligned'therewith and this can be accomplished in other various andobvious ways-as, for example,

priate tapering depression on features of this invention is slanting the studs 40b which carry pads 36b rather than 'bevelling the heads'thereof. Pads 36!: and 36b, supported on studs 38a, 38b and heads 40a, 4%, as previously de scribed, are fastened into position by threaded nuts 42a and 42!). This arrangement provides obvious removability and interchangeability'of bearing pads and also permits ,adjustrnent, since than shim elements may be seated'in the countersunk portions in which the head elcments 38a and 3812 are seated if it is desired to effect adjustment.

Pads 36c are preferably mounted,'as by welding, on the heads 380 ofheaded screws 400, which are adapted to be screwed into appropriatexthreaded openings in the lower sides of the top walls of the rail engaging shoe elements, as best seen in Fig. 3. The-heads 380 are circular in crosssection and fil'=l[l ll0 appropriate countersunk areas in said top'walls.

The modification of Figs. 3 through 7 depicts certain V variations of the speeific 'example of Figs. 1 and 2 which havenotbeen previously mentioned. For example, the

modification of Figs. 3 through 7 includes ball detent means 21 intended to cooperate with appropriate depressions in the shoe portions to fix the relative position of the parts, a plurality of cap screws'30 for locking the assembly in place and includes shim means 44 to assure a tight assembly. Moreover, as best seen in Fig. 3, the track engaging shoes need not each be a unitary C-section but maybe built up to a desiredshape bythe joining together of pieces as shown bythe construction of shoe 10 in "Fig' 3'wherein the bottom section 10a is a separate -piece connectcdto the remainder of the shoe by any suitable manner, as by welding;

To'show the'no rmal mode of attachment of vehicle bodies or carriages to skids of the nature herein disclosed,

Fig; 3'includessome structure of such carriages. The carriages to be supported on such skids are provided with supporting frame structures including bearing means B in which a shaft S may be journalled, as shown, two opposed skids on a pair of rails thus being capable of supporting a single such shaft, and it being necessary, of course, in supporting a vehicle having two shafts to provide four appropriately positioned skids.

The foregoing description should sufiice to clearly describe the invention. However, it is deemed best at this point to briefly describe the mode of assembly of a skid according to the invention. In either form of the invention specificallydescribed herein, assuming the shoe structures 10, 11 to have the bearing pads either welded thereon (Figs. 1 and 2) or assemled therewith (Figs. 3 to 7) each skid may be assembled by mounting a pair of complementary shoe elements 10, 11 about the rail T in longitudinal alignment, with a dowel pin 28 inserted in dowel slots 26. In this position, the raised portions 14 of the shoe elements form a single wedge shaped protuberance having bevelled sides 16. Carriage shaft supportingelement 18 is then slidingly moved across the aligned shoe elements with the wide portion of the bevelled tapering depression in the bottom wall thereof, first sliding overthe narrow portion of said protuberance and finally engaging the wider portion thereof, the heyelled surfaces 16 and 20 locking the pieces together. If desired, a shim, such as; the shim 44 Fig. 3), may be included. Screw' elements 30 are then'inserted in holes 32 and 34 to lock the assembly together.

From the above, it shouldbe clear that we have invented new and improved skid structures for high-speed track carriages which offer new and improved characteristics in that they areeasily attached and detached from the 'rails;'in that they provide for ventilation and cooling of the bearing surfaces and for the non-retention of foreign matter; and in'thatthe bearing surfaces may be replaced and-adjusted. 1

The twomodificationsrspecifically disclosed are by way of illustration of the-principles .of this invention and are not intended to be limiting, .thesegpe of the invention being limited only by the scope and language of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A detachable skid for high speed rail supported carriages comprising a carriage supporting channel member adapted to have pivotal connection with a portion of a carriage, a pair of complementary rail engaging shoe elements of substantially C-shaped configuration each constituting a half of a rail engaging shoe, said elements being adapted to be placedin opposed relation about a generally T-shaped rail to encompass the rail to form a rail engaging shoe, and intcrengaging means on said shoe elements and said channel member'for releasably securing said channel member to said shoe elements, said last named means serving also to secure said shoe elements to one another in said encompassing relation to said rail.

2. A detachable skid according to claim 1, wherein said interengaging means comprises raised portions at the inner abutting edges of the top surfaces of said complementary shoe elements, said portions being of constantly increasing width from end to end of said elements to form a single composite wedge shaped portion when the elements are placed in abutting relation, the outer edges of said raised portions being bevelled inwardly and downwardly, and a complementary tapering bevelled depression in the underside of said channel member to engage the raised portions on said shoe elements to clamp the pieces together upon assembly therewith.

3. A detachable skid according to claim 1, wherein said shoe elements are each provided with a plurality of spaced bearing means protruding fromthe top, side and bottom surfaces thereof and adapted to slidably engage said rail.

4. A detachable skid according to claim 3 wherein said bearing means comprise removable insert means removably and detachably secured in said shoe elements.

5. A detachable skid according to claim 3 wherein said bearing. means comprise pads of bearing material attached to the inner surfaces of said shoe elements.

6. A detachable skid according to claim 3 wherein said protruding bearing means are arranged in a plurality of rows, said rows being disposed longitudinally of said shoe means as disposed about said rail and being positioned along the lines of sliding contact with the top, sides and bottom of said rail, respectively, wherebythe rail has sliding contact with said aligned spaced bearing means, the spaces between adjacent bearing means providing for ventilation and cooling of the bearing means and allowing the escape of foreign matter.

7. A detachable skid for high speed rail supported carriagescomprising a carriage supporting channel member adapted to have pivotal connection with a portion of a carriage, rail engaging shoe means adapted to encompass a generally T-shaped rail, and means to attach said carriage supporting channel to said shoe means, said rail engaging shoe means having a plurality of spaced bearing means protruding from the surface thereof and adapted to slidably engage said rail, said protruding bearing means arranged in a plurality of rows, said rows being disposed longitudinally of said shoe means as disposed about a rail and being positioned along the lines of sliding contact with the top, sides and bottom of said rail,

respectively, whereby the rail has sliding contact with said aligned spaced bearing means, the spaces between adjacent bearing means providing for ventilation and cooling of the bearing means and allowing the escape of foreign matter.

8. A detachable skid according to claim 7 wherein said bearing means comprise removable insert means removably and detachably secured in said shoe elements.

9. A detachable skid according to claim 7 wherein said bearing means comprise pads of bearing material attached to the inner surfaces of said shoe elements.

10. Detachable rail engaging shoe means for use in skids for high speed rail supported carriages, said shoe means comprising a pair of complementary rail engaging shoe elements of substantially C-shaped configuration each constituting a half of a rail engaging shoe, said elements being adapted to be placed in opposed relation about a generally T-shaped rail to encompass the rail, each said shoe element having a raised portion at that edge of the top surface thereof which abuts the other element when they are assembled about said rail, the outer edge of said raised portion being bevelled inwardly and downwardly to provide means for attachment of the shoe elements to carriage supporting means and to one another in assembled relation on said rail.

=11. Rail engaging shoe means as defined in claim 10, wherein each said shoe element is provided witha plurality of spaced bearing means protruding from the surface thereof and adapted to slidingly engage said rail.

12. Rail engaging shoe means as defined in claim 11 wherein said spaced protruding bearingmeans are arranged in a plurality of longitudinal rows along the inner surfaces of the top, side, and bottom portions thereof to provide interrupted bearing surfaces to slidingly engage the top, side, and bottom of the rail respectively.

13. Rail engaging means as defined in claim 12 wherein said bearing means comprise removable insert means removably and detachably secured in said shoe elements.

14. Rail engaging means as defined in claim 12 wherein said bearing means comprise pads of bearing material attached to the inner surfaces of said shoe elements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 54,868 Crocker May 22, 1866 245,389 Myers Aug. 9, 1881 346,018 Bernstein et al July 20, 1886 425,408 Craw Apr. 15, 1890 596,342 Tinney Dec. 28, 1897 628,776 Dodge July 11, 1899 1,033,769 Yerbury July 23, 1912 1,231,513 Evans June 26, 1917 1,419,726 Fixter June 13, 1922 1,603,393 Malcolm Oct. 19, 1926 :1,777,578 Roberts Oct. 7, 1930 2,185,630 Fridlund Jan. 2, 1940 2,593,230 Walter Apr. 15, 1952 2,724,966 Northrop et al Nov. 29, 1955 2,791,461 Goldenberg May 7, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 564,515 Germany Nov. 19, 1932 

